"Huh? What's with that expression?"
Davidson's coworker looked at his slightly dazed face, puzzled.
Was there something wrong with how he was playing? Did he clear the level in the wrong way?
"No, it's nothing. Just... you cleared the level really fast."
"Oh, that? Maybe because I've played a lot of games before," his coworker replied casually.
He was, after all, a fairly seasoned gamer—clearing a game like this wasn't really a challenge.
And this proved a point: even when playing the same game, different people could have vastly different levels of efficiency and skill.
...
...
Davidson had never played video games before, so it was obvious that his understanding of them couldn't compare to that of his coworker.
"This game is actually pretty fun. I could see myself playing it when I have free time. It's just a shame I can't buy this phone right now," his coworker said a little wistfully as he handed the phone back.
"Money's tight?" Davidson asked.
"Not exactly. It's just that my wife manages our finances pretty tightly. Most of our expenses go toward the kids now. I haven't updated my gaming setup in ages. She told me that if I want to buy a new console, I have to sell the old one first—but those old consoles are my babies, you know? There's no way I can sell them so easily."
Before, Davidson might have thought, It's just a piece of electronics—what's the big deal about selling it?
But now, he found himself actually understanding that sentiment.
Selling a console... did feel a little hard to accept.
"You said the console is even more fun than this phone game?" Davidson asked.
"Of course! Console games are incredible. Some of them are just as good as top-tier literary works or amazing films. Wait—you've never played them before?"
Davidson shook his head. "No, I've never really been interested in this kind of thing. I prefer reading."
"Oh, that's a good habit too. But hey, sometimes it's nice to change things up, right? If you're interested in games, I can lend you my console."
"Didn't you say your consoles are your babies? Why lend it to me?"
"Heh, well, that only applies to selling them. I'm not against people playing them. If you're interested in games, I'd be more than happy to share them with you. If you end up liking it, we can even play together—stuff like Monster Hunter, for example."
"Monster Hunter?"
"It's a game title. Anyway, if you're curious, I can lend it to you so you can try. Once you play it, you'll understand what makes games fun."
"I think I'll pass for now. I'm not really that interested."
Davidson still felt that spending too much time on games wasn't for him.
"That's fine. But if you ever change your mind, just let me know—I'll bring the console over anytime."
With that, his coworker said goodbye and headed home.
Davidson also tidied up and returned to his place.
He was divorced, so he lived alone now.
This gave him a taste for peace and quiet.
But sometimes, he couldn't help feeling just a little bit lonely.
When he walked through the door, the place was dark. He flipped the light switch, and the room slowly lit up.
Looking around, he suddenly remembered what his coworker had said earlier—about lending him a game console and introducing him to gaming.
Davidson didn't know if video games were really that interesting... but he found himself intrigued by the idea of playing together.
That sounded kind of nice.
Besides, he'd heard recently that his own kid seemed to be into video games too.
If he could get into it, maybe the next time he saw his child, they'd have more to talk about.
Davidson shook his head, pushing those thoughts aside. First, it was time for dinner.
After he ate, he sat alone in the living room, a bit bored.
Normally, at this hour, he'd pick up a book and read.
But tonight, his mind kept circling back to what his coworker had said... and those levels in Candy Fun Match.
I'll just play a little, he thought.
At this point, he didn't even notice that he no longer thought the game was childish.
His attitude toward it had shifted.
Also—how did his coworker manage to clear that level?
What strategy did he use to beat it without using any power-ups and still score a perfect three stars?
No matter how hard Davidson tried to figure it out, he couldn't.
Maybe his understanding of video games was still lacking.
He decided to try Level 41 again, the one his coworker had played.
No matter how hard he tried—without using items—he just couldn't reach the score his coworker had.
Are people really that different? Davidson began to doubt himself.
In the end, he gave in and used an item.
Whatever the case, he felt like he had to at least beat his coworker's score to be satisfied.
After finishing Level 41, he moved on to the next stages.
This time, maybe influenced by seeing how his coworker played, he started to imitate that style—and he realized the game didn't seem quite as difficult as before.
In any case, that was a good thing.
And without realizing it, he ended up playing the entire evening.
Even when he went to bed, he was still thinking about how to clear the next levels.
Every time he started to feel bored with the game, a new mechanic would be introduced—just enough to keep him engaged and give him motivation to keep going.
The difficulty curve was incredibly smooth, lulling him deeper and deeper into the experience.
This was a feeling he had never gotten from reading or watching movies.
If there were something comparable, it would be like watching short, lighthearted videos on Facebook's platform.
But unlike those mindless short clips, this game actually made him use his brain.